Wire-reinforced tying tape



Feb. 11, 1969 s. L. MEAD 3,426,393

WIRE-REINFORCED 'IYING TAPE Filed Sept. 1, 1967 FIG! STAN LEY L. MEAD INVENTO/P B) BUCK/{OHM 52095, KLAROU/ST a SPAR/(MAN ATTORNEYS 3,426,393 WIRE-REINFORCED TYING TAPE Stanley L. Mead, Portland, reg., assignor to Package Containers, Inc., Portland, Oreg., a corporation of Oregon Filed Sept. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 664,973 US. Cl. 2430.5 Int. Cl. B651! 77/18 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention This invention relates to wire-reinforced tying tapes such as are commonly used to close :the necks of polyethylene bags in which food and other products are packaged, or to tie produce together in consumer-sized bundles.

Tapes similar to that of the instant invention generally consist of a double layer of paper and have a wire core centrally located therein. The wire core is made of a soft, readily bendable wire so that a length of the tape can be easily twisted together to close the neck of a bag or to tie a bundle of produce together. A number of twists are required to secure the ends of such a tape since the paper in which the wire is encased is not self-locking.

Summary of the invention The tape of the present invention comprises the usual soft, readily bendable wire core which is encased in a strip of flexible material. T he strip of material, however, which may be of vinyl, paper, or polyethylene-coated paper, has a plurality of feather cuts along each of its opposite edges at spaced intenvals therealong. These feather cuts are adapted to engage one another and provide a strong, interlocking grip when a length of the tape is wrapped around an object and the ends of the tape are twisted together. The points formed by the feather cuts also ten-d to bite into the object around which the tape is wrapped, further to strengthen the grip. Fewer twists are thus needed to secure the ends of the tape and prevent the tie from opening.

it is thus the principal object of the present invention to provide a tying tape of the class described that will be interlocking.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tape of the class described that will require fewer turns in order to secure the ends thereof.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a tape of the class described, the edges of the encasing strip of which will strongly grip each other when the tape is twisted together around an object.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a plan view, partially in section and enlarged as to scale, of a length of the tying tape of the present invention.

i d States Patent 0 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view, approximately full size, showing a length of the tape twisted around an object to be secured.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings, the tying tape 10 of the present invention comprises a strip of flexible material 12 in which is encased a soft, readily bendable wire core 14. The tape 10 itself is thus readily bendable, although it is relatively strong longitudinally.

The strip of material 12 may desirably be made of vinyl, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, or it may be made of a relatively stilt paper, in which case a double layer thereof is used, the wire core '14 being centrally located therein and passing between the layers. Alternatively, the strip 12 may be made of a polyethylene-coated paper. The only requirement is that the strip 12 be relatively flexible so that it can bend with the wire core 14. A preferred width for the strip 12 is from to inch.

A feature of the invention resides in the 'fact that the strip 12 is provided with a plurality of feather cuts 16 along the opposite edges 18, 19 thereof. These feather cuts 16 are preferably spaced about /8 inch apart along the tape and preferably form :an angle of approximately degrees with the longitudinal axis 20 of the tape.

FIG. 3 shows a length of the tape 10 being used to close the neck of a bag B. As can be seen, the feather cuts 16 interlock as they engage one another, thereby to provide a strong grip with but few twists of the ends required. I have also found that the points 22 formed in the strip 12 by the cuts 16 tend to bite into the object around which the tape is twisted, thereby to strengthen the grip on the object and prevent the tie (from sliding off.

In the foregoing description, the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, although it should be understood that the specific details shown are merely illustrative and that the invention may :be carried out in other ways without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claim.

I claim:

1. A tying tape comprising a soft readily bendable wire core, and

a strip of flexible material encasing said core,

said material having feather cuts along the opposite edges thereof at spaced interval-s therealon-g and forming an angle of approximately 45 degrees with the longitudinal axis of said tape,

said feather cuts being adapted to engage one another and provide a strong grip when a length of said tape is wrapped around an object and the ends of said tape are twisted together,

said feather cuts forming points in said strip of material which points can bite into said object around which said tape is wrapped.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 974,419 9/1950 France.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

